General Info

Hola,

I just returned from a two week trip to Panama and Costa Rica. Please read below my observations about the Costa Rica part of my trip:

[url]http://www.internationalsexguide.in...&postcount=1142[/url] ...... here is the link to the Panama part of my trip report-which I previously posted.

Costa Rica Report:

This was my firt time to Panama, and there were things that I liked better about Panama over Costa Rica. Please see my report above # 1142 ----for a comparison.

I spent one week in Panama City then went to Costa Rica.

I crossed the border of Panama into Costa Rica at Paso Canoas. It was an easy crossing. I had taken a bus from David, Panama to Paso Canoas, then got off that bus, walked over to the Costa Rica side with a guide. A fellow approached me and said, "I will be your guide to cross the border. I work here". He spoke good English, and 'guided' me across to the imigration office where I had my passport stamped (if memory serves I think I had to pay about $ 1. 00 for this). Then my guide told me when and where to catch the bus to go onto into Costa Rica. I paid him a tip - propenia of $3. 00 for his help, and shortly my bus arrived and I boarded to go onto Golfito, and San Isidro CR.

I especially wanted to go up the Pacific coast of Costa Rica to look it over. I went first to Golfito to check out the "Free Trade Zone" there. I did not find what I was looking for. Which was small motorcycles. (I had seen these in the "Free Zone" in Colon, Panama for only $ 500. 00. Same bike in San Jose was $ 1100. 00 and about $ 1200. 00 in Jaco Beach. I found out later).

Bus ride to San Isidro de General was OK. I stayed one night in San Is. and went to the Mexicana Night Club. There was perhaps 5-6 chicas working there. I was approached my an older half Chinese- half Costa Rican lady (she said she was 40....but she still looked OK), who told me the 'drill'. 30 minutes in her room (on primises) for 8,000 colones.

So I did that. She did all the good stuff.....BBBJ, a phuck, etc. and then I left after our session. Not a bad deal for only $ 16.00. I found that in the interior of both Panama and Costa Rica......the towns of David, San Isidro, and others I am sure.......you could get the 'whole nine yards' of mongering pleasures for much cheaper than in the major cities like San Jose, or Panama City. Perhaps the girls were not the calibre as in the Del Rey or the casinos of Panama City....but they weren't far off....and the going prices were way cheaper.

(((On a previous trip to Gaupilles (sp) I ran into a night spot with lots of chicas for only 7,000 in the back rooms))).

Then I continued via Tico bus from San Isidro over the mountains to Dominical.....there is where the trip got 'dicey'.
There is nothing much going on in Dominical....it's a very small little town with mostly everything on one street.....about 1/4 mile in length. Great place to go surfing, or to "get lost" if that is your desire.

The road from Dominical to Queopos is unpaved.....a dirt road with many, many bad places in the road. The Tico bus was loaded with people, stopping every couple of miles to load and unload locals.....it was literally about 5 miles per hour....and really the "bus ride from hell".....I will never do that stretch again in a bus.

Going out of Quepos to Jaco Beach was OK. Normal paved road.

Quepos is a good place to take a side trip...fishing is good there, and there are plenty of hotels and restaurants.

My newly found friends......Curt and Jim spent a day or so in Quepos on this trip (and I fished and hung out with them for 2 days in Jaco Beach).

Curt's handle on this forum and also on CRT is "Blue Devil". He made all the arrangements for the charter fishing.
Three of us had a 26 ' Panga style boat with 115 hp 4 stroke engine for an all day fishing trip from Herreidura (sp) - right next to and within sight of the marina at Los Suenos. Price for our trip was $ 350.00.

We boated 8 Dorado ( aka Maui-Maui.) in the 8 to 10 lb. range, and 1 Yellow Fin Tuna....about 20 lbs. that day. Had a good day fishing, and then the Capt cleaned all the fish....we took them all....and we had enough fish filets for about 5-6 meals. We took the fish to Jaco, and had a couple of meals prepared...the last one being lunch at the Beatle Bar, cooked up by Paul, the restaurant manager there. If you want contact information about our fish charter then please PM "Blue Devil" - aka Curt for that information. The price of $ 350.00 is pretty cheap compared to some of the other charters operating out of the Jaco Beach area.

Stayed at the Los 4 Grandes hotel in Jaco for 4 days. Got the low season rate of $ 30.00 per night for a nice, big room. It is right next to the Beatle Bar...only about 25 yards away....and very convienient for mongering.

Went by bus to San Jose....stayed a couple of nights at the Nuevo Johnson Hotel......2nd Ave. & Calle 8.....$ 10.00 per night.
There is a little bar just around the corner on 2nd Ave....it is right beside the Gran Hotel.....there are most always independent chicas working out of here....they come and go.....and this trip I chatted up one....bought her a beer, and negeoiated the price for a massage and BJ, and sexo for 6,000 colones at my hotel...the Johnson...just around the corner.
Took her up to the room for about a 1 1/2 hour session for only $ 12.00.

This little bar stays open until around 2 AM.....and there always seems to be a few girls working out of it.

Tried to get out of San Jose the next day for a flight back to Atlanta....then on to Tulsa....then drive back to Missouri...where I live......but Monday morning Delta flight (and I had a standby pass) was oversold with about 300 people trying to leave San Jose to go to Germany for the soccer matches.....so I went back to town on the bus, and came out again the next day....Tues. and got onto my plane.....no problem.

I will start getting Social Security (age 62) in about 6 months. At that time I plan on moving to either Panama or Costa Rica ( I had previously decided upon Jaco Beach)......but from what I experienced on this trip....I am thinking that Panama just might be better for me than Costa Rica.....for many varied reasons. Most of the prices in Panama are cheaper than Costa Rica, there seem to be fewer tourists in Panama than CR, and I think the overall attitude from most Panamanians towards Gringo's is perhaps more cordial than from the Ticos in Costa Rica

The women are pretty much the same in Panama as Costa Rica. There are lots of Columbiaianas in Costa Rica and Panama. But seemingly most of the Panamanian girls do not leave Panama to go to other countries to work.

Perhaps this is tied into the social/economic thing .......that the girls from Columbia, Dominican, & Nigaragua need to leave their home countries to do "sex work" because - # 1 - they do not want their families to know what kind of work they are doing...... and # 2 - perhaps they can simply make more money in say Costa Rica, than they can make doing the same work in their home countries.......This is a very curious thing....and perhaps one day I will more fully understand it the reasons for it.

But it seems like the girls from Panama doing 'sex type' work stay in Panama to work........I guess the money for them is OK in Panama, and they don't feel the need to leave Panama for this type of work.

Pura Vida ........... Steve

Does anyone have knowledge of or experience with the Inter-Continental Hotel?

"The Real InterContinental Costa Rica Hotel is ideally located in San Jose, Costa Rica, within the exclusive area of Escazu, across from the Multi Plaza Shopping and Entertainment Center."

InterContinental

REAL COSTA RICA
PROSPERO FERNANDEZ HWY.
SAN JOSE, 1000
COSTA RICA

Is it female friendly? Is it too far from downtown?

Thank you for the help.

Happydaze.

Google Earth is great mapping software -- why not use it for mongering? I took the time to add many local San Jose attractions to Google Earth and saved a file for everyone to utilize. Go ahead and try it yourself per the instructions below. You guys may want to add more information / placemarks and repost for everyone to share. Come to think of it, this could work great for other cities as well!

Instructions
------------
1. Download and install the software here: [url]http://earth.google.com/earth4.html[/url]
2. Download the attached file SanJose-CR.txt and then rename it SanJose-CR.kmz
3. In Google Earth, click "File" -> "Open" and open SanJose-CR.kmz
4. You should then be able to fly to San Jose, Costa Rica and see the placemarkers

Hooked

Very cool Hooked, far and away the best map I've seen so far. Now if I can only get the directions feature to work.

Thanks, I can only imagine how useful this would be with a UMPC w/ GPS capability <http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/umpc/seeit.mspx> that lasts an 8 hour charge. You'd know exactly where you were at every instant and be able to easily find any location. Taxis couldn't f with you by taking you on circuitous routes!

Chase Star has a really nice map with a lot of info on it. I see where's he's wanted to take photos of all the places and then create a webpage to overlay them on the map... Well, why not just build on this map? It's already graphical with pictures (albeit it only shows the view from overhead.) and you can add info via descriptions.

Chase's map is obviously more useful when out and about. But in a few years when the price has gone down and the equipment is more capable, you'll want to be carrying around a UMPC w/ GPS & some sort of wifi/data feed.

[QUOTE=NastyBoy]Very cool Hooked, far and away the best map I've seen so far. Now if I can only get the directions feature to work.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=Hooked in STL]Thanks, I can only imagine how useful this would be with a UMPC w/ GPS capability <http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/umpc/seeit.mspx> that lasts an 8 hour charge. You'd know exactly where you were at every instant and be able to easily find any location. Taxis couldn't f with you by taking you on circuitous routes!

Chase Star has a really nice map with a lot of info on it. I see where's he's wanted to take photos of all the places and then create a webpage to overlay them on the map... Well, why not just build on this map? It's already graphical with pictures (albeit it only shows the view from overhead.) and you can add info via descriptions.

Chase's map is obviously more useful when out and about. But in a few years when the price has gone down and the equipment is more capable, you'll want to be carrying around a UMPC w/ GPS & some sort of wifi/data feed.[/QUOTE]
Agreed with the taxistas. On my last trip and on two consecutive days with two different drivers they couldn't find the damn place. Big problem is they don't have numbers to addresses. It's always three meters after the KFC kinda shit. I'm glad they have internet down there, but I don't foresee GPS anytime in their near future. I had a rental in Germany GPS equipped and even in German it got me to where I wanted to go without incident never having been there before.

The other map you mentioned is just a glorified bitmap with mouse rollover tips and been in the works for over a year. Probably never see that finished. It sucks. This Google map is much better since you can see the actual buildings. The best tool I have found to getting around is RBC's list.

I see that most of the time on the board that prices paid for girls is quoted in US dollars. Do the girls prefer dollars or Costa Rican Colon? What about hotels, restaurants and bars, are prices in Colon or Dollars? I know you can use your credit card and currency is converted on your statement. Should you change your money? If so where do you get the best rate, currency exchange booths, banks, or casinos?

[QUOTE=Love Seeker]I see that most of the time on the board that prices paid for girls is quoted in US dollars. Do the girls prefer dollars or Costa Rican Colon? What about hotels, restaurants and bars, are prices in Colon or Dollars? I know you can use your credit card and currency is converted on your statement. Should you change your money? If so where do you get the best rate, currency exchange booths, banks, or casinos?[/QUOTE]
All excellent questions, Love Seeker. Although I am not the utmost authority on these things let me tell you what I do and why. To answer your first question, not only the girls but everyone you do business with will prefer to be paid in the great yankee gringo currency. Por que? Because the value of theirs goes down daily and the value of ours goes up (interpretation mine). You can use your credit card but I have read on travel web sites that it's not a good idea. Think about it. Identity theft and all and a third world country. I do pay my hotel bill with my CC since I don't want to bring that amount of additional cash for that, but I stay at a brand name, U.S. franchise hotel chain that has an image and reputation to maintain. So far so good. Everything else I pay in colones whenever possible. Depending upon where you go, if it's a local scene type situation then prices are quoted in colones. If it's a tourist thing then prices are quoted in both.

Having said all that I convert most of my dollars at the bank. In thousands some times because I don't want to make too many trips. My room has a safe. My hotel, Best Western Downtown, converts dollars to colones but if they want to get anal about it they will only convert $100 per day. Which does not go very far. Charming persuasive fellow that I am I can usually convert $100 per shift which equals to $300 per day. Still, I hate waiting at the desk and then getting all those 1000 and 2000 colones bills. Better to go to the bank and get 5000 colones bills. I go to the main building of Bank of Costa Rica downtown San Jose. I go inside, as they have currency exchange outside the bank with the higher rates for lazy people. I go inside, wait in line and convert there. If you have to convert more than say $200, there is another exchange area upstairs which is a little quicker. But honestly, the diffierences in the rates ain't all that great. It depends on how tight you are. I can squeeze a buffalo nickel till his balls turn blue.

I think that covers everything you asked. So here's what I do on my trips to SJO. I park at the airport and will pay for that with my debit card when I get back so there is no money issue there. According to the excellent advice given on this board, I take exactly $26 US for the exit visa tax (notice the currency the govt wants to be paid in), and I take exactly $12 for the orange taxi for the fare from the airport to the hotel and exactly $5 for the tip to the driver. Tip not necessary and even though I squeeze that nickel, there are times I recognize that people work for a living and I bring some of my state side habits with me. No big deal. I have given $20 tip but that was for exceptional service. In that case the traffic was all fucked up and the driver could have waited in line like all the rest of the traffic, but through a lot of manuevering and side roads and bizarre places I have never seen before, he got me out of that mess and to my hotel which is all I was interested in. He earned it.

I check in, convert $100 at the hotel, throw my bags in the room, pop a vitamin v, take a leak then head for Oasis to party party party party.

Next day I go to the bank and convert all the cash and then go party party party some more.

I try to spend all my colones before I leave and whatever is left over I convert back to dollars at the airport.

And that is all there is to that. Quite simple actually and it has been a succesful model for me. However, as I said at the beginning, I do not claim to be the authority, this is just how I do it.

Hope it helps and have a great time.

NB

[QUOTE=NastyBoy]...You can use your credit card but I have read on travel web sites that it's not a good idea. Think about it. Identity theft and all and a third world country[/QUOTE]Doesn't [B]most[/B] of the identity theft happen in a first world country (USA)?

[QUOTE=NastyBoy]The other map you mentioned is just a glorified bitmap with mouse rollover tips and been in the works for over a year. Probably never see that finished. This Google map is much better since you can see the actual buildings. The best tool I have found to getting around is RBC's list.[/QUOTE]For those of you that don't know, this is just some current sourness on the part of Nastyboy that has carried over from the PhotoGallery section. NB, you really need to get over it. You're just making yourself look foolish. Since this is a subject that I think I do know something about let me lay out the facts.

First of all, there have been various versions of SJ monger maps over the years. Often each map draws inspiration from its predecesors and hopefully builds on them. The grand-daddy of all SJ monger maps, or at least the the most well-known early map, was the famous "Lump's Map". So let's give proper homage to that. It has been resurrected or kept alive by Don Gordo and can still be found on his site [url]www.dongordo.com[/url]. It is much simpler than my map (fewer businesses marked, less coverage area and no bells and whistles) but is still highly effective AND is freely available for anyone.

Seeking to improve on that base, I experimented with a number of different versions. My earliest effort included a map navigation system similar to the one used at [url]www.maptak.com[/url], a CR map site I highly recommend for CR travelers. I also worked with GetRhythm who had developed a really good Visio-based map independently of my efforts. There was a lot of friendly give and take between us on our 2 versions. Ultimately, I went forward briefly with my own Visio-based map that incorporated a lot of the embellishments that GR had come up with. The on-line version of that map uses JPG's not bitmaps. The distinction may not seem important but it means the file loads much faster. Also, the Visio version enabled me to add some on-line navigational features that are very similar to what you'll see in Hook's Google version but which do not require any special installed software for the end-user.

I think that early version was, IMHO, a fairly impressive piece of work but I never personally "glorified" it. That is NB's snide way of trying to disparage it. Its a map with a lot of improvements over the older versions but as a mapmaker I still recognize a LOT of shortcomings (see below). For now, I'm more than content to leave it to each individual to make their own judgements and "glorify it" if they see fit. Although that original Visio map is still on my site, I personally thought it wasn't worth the effort to maintain (especially since I only had a trial version of Visio that has since run out) Instead, I returned my focus to building and maintaining a simpler JPG map with html mapping, which is now really the main map on my site.

I'm not sure which version of my map NB thinks has been "glorified", but I've always presented this JPG version as one that, while it had considerable improvements over past maps, was still something which could be built upon as such by [b]DEFINITION[/b] would "probably never see that finished". It was also always presented as a [b]GROUP[/b] collaborative effort that would always need user input to continue to evolve and grow. Even if it wasn't improved upon, it was always realized that it would need to be updated anyway as businesses change. For example, the Morazon Cafe, which is on both my map and Hook's new one, has reportedly gone way down hill from when it first opened and I've had it slated to be removed for quite some time. So from all THOSE perspectives my map HAS "been in the works for over a year", but any new map will ultimately face the same challenges.

NB makes my map sound like it is mostly incomplete, which it is not. The map itself has been essentially complete and ready to use from the moment it was rolled out. Streets don't change and most businesses don't either so there as been little reason to change it. Some icon placements have been corrected, defunct businesses removed, etc. but the map itself is largely unchanged. It hasn't been completely static during that time, for example I posted some corrections and additions to it even just this past month, but obviously the largest work was in setting it up.

The on-line pop-ups are a slightly different story. I'm sure NB, will tell you these are just meaningless fluff, and its true they're largely meaningless once you print out a hard copy of the map to take with you (just as the the zoom and pan features on Hook's Google version would be). But they are a unique feature to my map and many guys browsing the map at home on their PC appreciate being able to recognize what places they plan to visit till look like from the ground once they get to SJ. There are nearly 130 pop-ups on everything from Arcada's NightClub to Zona Blue and more monger businesses than any other monger map I've seen as well as hotels, restaurants, parks and sights that may be of interest to mongers. Most pop-ups (about 80%) include actual street level (as opposed to satelite view) pictures of the establishments so you can recognize it when you walk by. The remaining 20% are mostly restaurants and non-monger specific sites and businesses. BTW, many of those photos were contributed by fellow mongers in keeping with the collaborative emphasis of the project. NB should appreciate the photos since he's posted 20 pics (of rooftops) from one location alone. The popups also include basic address, phone numbers, hours of operation, prices, and user comments. This is the only part of the project that could really be called incomplete. Similarly, Hook's project is just getting started in this regard since Muses is the only place that has anything more than GPS coordinates on it at this stage. On my map project, many of the popups still have just basic location info and await more complete reviews by contributors. This aspect takes a lot of work. Perhap's NB would like to volunteer to help Hook complete his map.

I think Hook has done a tremendous job and as one who has worked on maps oneself and knows what goes into it I'll be the last person to criticise or belittle his work. However, as one who has played around in this area quite a bit myself, I understand that his is just a different approach to the same goal. Each approach has its advantages and disadvantages.

GPS is cool but it will be a long while before map coordinates are going to be as helpful in SJ as knowing which street you're on and which direction you need to go from a particular landmark. Satelite views ARE really amazing but not as helpful as knowing what someplace looks like from the ground.

It was suggested to me a while back to use the google satelite pictures as my base and I examined that possibility. I didn't keep the software on my PC because I wanted to try and stay with a map where the user didn't need special software to view it but I did play around with the satelite photos. I decided against using it for my own map because, while I found the satelite view interesting, once you start to add more and more icons it becomes too much visual clutter when you print it out.

Hook's map is starting to get that way and it only has 43 landmarks so far. Imagine if it tried to do as many as are on my map. OTOH, with the Google system (or Visio), you can zoom in on-line to the block-level where it is easier to differentiate between the local icons and so could theoretically eventually have MANY times more icons than are presently on either Hook's map or mine. You probably wouldn't want to print out at map zoomed in to that level but it certainly would be very nice for on-line.

One way around the icon clutter problem, aside from zooming in, that I'm sure Hook has thought of, would be to create different folders or layers for different categories of businesses (e.g hotels, bars, mps, etc.) That way the user can more selectively and more easily turn on or off what types of businesses show up on the map. That along with the zoom and pan aspects is really the biggest advantage of Hook's map rather than the satelite view itself. Another approach might be to use the satelite photos in conjunction with the Visio software, something I didn't try, as that would also allow block level zoom in and layering without requiring the enduser to install any special software. If Hook is interested, I'd be happy to talk with him to exchange ideas. I understand what he has done so far is just his first step and he probably envisions doing a lot more with it.

If Hooked wants to get in touch with me, I'd be happy to offer some suggestions based on what I've learned to better incorporate those features.aids such as a zoom feature that could let you zero in to the point an individual city block filled your whole screen. Obviously, on a system like that there would be room to add a helluva lot of new business markers.

I have been to both DR and CR 20+ times. If you want to sit on a beautiful beach, find girls easily, and relax, and you prefer darker girls, DEFINITELY D.R.
DR is much more user-friendly and the beaches are beautiful.

Jaco beach and other CR beaches are good for surfing, but are not beautiful tropical beaches with warm water and soft sand like in the DR, and the girls in the DR are much are friendly, especially if you don't speak Spanish. Bear in mind that DR is MUCH poorer than CR, and therefore, as a "rich" gringo, you have access in DR to a much higher class of girls than in CR. A sophisticated TICA, say a middle-class student or professional, wouldn't be caught dead talking to a middle-age gringo tourist who doesn't speak Spanish, whereas many many middle class Dominicans would LOVE to go out with a nice American.

San Jose is not very interesting, unless you want to sit in your hotel and drink, puke, smoke phony cuban cigars and fuck hardened ugly *****s with the fat loser slobs at the Blue Marlin/Del Rey Hotel who don't know any better. (Flame away, fat loser slobs!!! I know some of those girls you think "love" you, and I speak to them in Spanish, and their evaluation of YOU is "that guy last night musta been 8 months pregnant, his belly was so big he couldn't see his dick, and he smelled like shit and was so drunk and gross he passed out in 15 minutes, but I told him I love him so maybe he will send me some money")

You CAN do better in San Jose, if you speak Spanish or do a lot of homework, e.g., Oasis and some local spots in Paseo Colon. If you MUST visit San Jose, make a reservation at [url]http://www.sportsmenscr.com/[/url], they speak English, have an 800 number, and will steer you right and keep you out of trouble. Unless you are a drunk fat slob, do NOT stay in the Del Rey or look for girls in the Blue Marlin. But the city itself is ugly and charmless. Anywhere in the DR, except maybe Sto. Domingo centro, is nicer than San Jose. I do go to CR, but I avoid San Jose and Jaco like the plague. The real good stuff in CR is way off the beaten track, up in the rainforests, volcano lodges, etc., and you are probably not going to get there unless you speak Spanish, and you will DEFINITELY not meet a girl there.

Love Seeker,
I think NastyBoy gave you some excellent advice. I'm no expert either but I have a slightly different spin in only a few areas.

First re: credit cards. I've had absolutely no problems with identity theft using my card in CR but I know it happens and I use mine only in a few specific areas. Unless you're at some really scummy hotel, you probably don't have to worry at all about using your card. You DON'T have to stay at an american chain. The Prez, SL, Morazon or even the HDR are perfectly safe. The HDR can empty your account with their chica fees and overpriced wetbars and doesn't need to take out unauthorized charges on your card (btw its not a bad idea to hide your wetbar items before you bring a chica back to your room). OTOH, there are some hotels that provide a discount for guests that pay in cash (e.g. the Castillo). Like NB, I always use my card for hotels unless I'm going for the cash discount. However I also use my card for auto-rental (comes with insurance) and sometimes major tours and restaurants (e.g. for the $95 Pacuare raft trip with Rios Tropicales but not for a $25 guide at some Nat'l Park, for an expensive group dinner at Tin Jo or El Monastere but not the $3 chicken at Mariscar). And I try to keep an eye on my card and destroy all the carbons. Like I said I've never had a problem but maybe I've just been lucky. The bigger problem, and its not a huge one, is that you can't be sure of what exchange rate you'll get until you get back home.

Everything else, except perhaps the chicas, is priced in colones and is probably best paid in that currency although, as NB pointed out, anyone would be more than happy to take dollars for the reasons he stated. If a beer is priced at 1200 colones at a bar or a meal at 2800 colones at some soda isn't it easier to have the colones ready than to give them US bills and try to figure if they gave you back the right amount of colones. The notable exceptions are, as NB pointed out, the cab ride into (and out of town) and the exit tax.

I bring more US cash with me to CR than NB does. I set aside the amounts he stated for airport cabs and exit tax but I carry more cash so I don't have to deal as much with ATM's and their uncertain fees and exchange rates or with bank lines. Some people bring travelers checks for added security but you usually don't get as good a rate with those and many places won't take them. Debit cards are a little less secure than travelers checks but a lot easier to get cash with. Whether its cash, check or plastic, most of your non-credit card expenditures will be in the form of colones, so even if you can avoid ATM fees or bank lines, you'll still need to get it converted somehow and its easier and more cost effective to do that in reasonably large blocks than on individual purchases. As NB stated, the easiest place to do this is at your hotel's front desk and you can often get pretty decent rates but there's usually a limit to how much they're willing to exchange per guest per day.

Other guys will debate where the best place to go to get the best rate. I'm not so sure it really makes a difference. It's like shopping around for gas. Sometimes you can save 5 cents/gallon by going across the street but what is that a buck on a tank of gas. Other times you can save a little more but is it quite as convenient. Currency conversion is somewhat similar. A 10 colone/$ difference on a $100 is only $2. If you've got the extra time to wait at a bank or know an ATM a block away gives a better rate then go for it, otherwise I wouldn't sweat it that much. I'd be more careful about fees. Use your credit card to get cash from an ATM or bank and you'll probably be hit with large cash advance fees when you get home regardless of where you made the exchange (another reason I'd bring cash or debit card)

Chicas are a little different than most other day to day expenses. MP's are priced in colones. You could give them just $20 instead of 10K colones. At today's exchange rate its a little more but only a quarter (don't expect change). If the rate goes to over 500c/$ then dollars will always be the better way for us to go. Actually because the rate is so close to 500 (and has been for a while) the 2 currencies really are more easily interchangable than ever before.

When you go someplace like the Blue Marlin, the girl's will nearly always make their offers in dollars (that's "cien dolares por favor" not "cinquente mil colones") although if you paid in colones most will not complain. Especially if you're paying $100, if they complain about "only" getting 50K colones then they must be real *****s - tell them tough shit, kick them out and tell them to pay for their own cab.

[QUOTE=Love Seeker]I see that most of the time on the board that prices paid for girls is quoted in US dollars. Do the girls prefer dollars or Costa Rican Colon? What about hotels, restaurants and bars, are prices in Colon or Dollars? I know you can use your credit card and currency is converted on your statement. Should you change your money? If so where do you get the best rate, currency exchange booths, banks, or casinos?[/QUOTE]Girls rates are lower in colones is my observation. Paradise casino in Amon Plaza had the best exchange rate during my stay in late June 511 to the dollar

Girls will take either $ or colones seem to prefer colones and offer better prices in colones in my experience. Casinos offer the best exchange rate no lines and usually 24 hours per day, Paradise casino was offering 511 colones to the dollar last week of June.

Great background and information on mapping, Chase. I agree that deriding others' contributions may be a bit counterproductive. Also as is suggested, once a useful map is created, it shouldn't stay static. It needs to be updated to stay relevant and caring members of the community should head that up. Constructive criticism, recommendations and working together are the names of the game. Oh boy, isn't this all touchy-feely -- Maybe I should save that for the girls!

Thanks for the feedback on the map I created. I really only created it just to mess around and throw it to the community to see what the feedback would be. I agree that utilizing layers (folders) for each location type could be beneficial. I may change that when I make some time.

Honestly, if I were going out now, I'd take a map like Chase's with me. It's simple, highly portable and contains a good balance of information to be effective. In a few years when UMPC's get it right, I'd do a flip-flop and utilize a GPS-enabled UMPC and Google Earth-like software. It'd be portable enough to take around while be-bopping around and the charge should last at least 8 hours. One could zoom in, zoom out and know exactly where they were and how to get from point A to point B. Too bad the technology really isn't ready yet.

So what good is the Google Earth version for now? Perhaps I'd glance at a satellite-based map like Google Earth just to get a more realistic feel. And yes, it's not perfect because the views are overhead as opposed to street-level, yet I still find it useful. Check this out though. Amazon is rolling out street-level maps in certain urban areas: [url]http://maps.a9.com/-/maps/?ypLoc=Broadway+and+W+46th%2C+New+York%2C+NY[/url] . It'll probably be a number of years before San Jose is mapped like that, however. Also, as NastyBoy mentioned, creating directions on the fly from Point A to Point B in Costa Rica don't seem to work. Perhaps this only works in the US right now.

In any case, good discussion. Feel free to edit / repost the map if you wish.